Sound the Bugle
by Chibi Orochi-kun
Summary: As he slipped away, he mouthed something of importance to them, hoping they would understand. I am free… Second Chapter added... rejoice!
1. Sound the Bugle

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or "Sound the Bugle", they belong to their respective creators. **

_Sound the Bugle by Bryan Adams  
_  
"_Sound the bugle now  
__Play it just for me  
As the seasons change  
__Remember how I used to be  
Now I can't go on  
__I can't even start  
I've got nothing left  
__Just an empty heart_

_I'm a soldier  
__Wounded so I must give up the fight  
There's nothing more for me  
__Lead me away  
__Or leave me lying here  
_

_Sound the bugle now  
__Tell them I don't care  
There's not a road I know  
__That leads to anywhere  
Without a light  
__I fear I will stumble in the dark  
Lay right down  
__Decide not to go on _

_Then from on high  
__Somewhere in the distance  
There's a voice that calls  
__Remember who your are  
If you lose yourself  
__Your courage soon will follow  
So be strong tonight  
__Remember who you are_

_You're a soldier now  
__Fighting in a battle  
To be free once more  
__That's worth fighting for"_

Sound the Bugle

Storm clouds loomed over head, thunder roared in the distance. A strong wind flowed through what had once been a beautiful valley. It was now the site of a battle most gruesome. Smoke rose in pillars towards the clouds above from the raging fires below. Craters littered the flat valley floor. The once green grass covered ground now sat charred black. Kunai and Shuriken shimmered in the dark against the distant flashes of lighting. Several large rocks protruded sharply from the black earth. Speckles of blood lay scattered, from both sides. Thunder boomed as the on coming storm drew closer. Near one of the craters, the speckles of blood turned into a trail, glowing against the burnt earth.

At the end of this trail lay one of the participants in the awful fight. Life's crimson flowed from his various wounds, some still had weapons in them. His body was in agony. His breathing shallow against the pain. His normally pale skin was snow white. Blood trailed down his brow, marring his face with its liquid beauty. His black hair lay strewn around his head, some matted with dried blood. His cloths were slowly becoming drenched, the torn fabric acting as a makeshift bandage to his immobile form. Slowly, he opened his cobalt eyes that had shown crimson only an hour before.

_

* * *

_Wave after wave of searing pain filled his body, rendering him immobile. He let out a strangled cry as he tried to move, not succeeding. Forcing his head up, he surveyed the damage to his body and found it worse than he had originally thought. He was covered with wounds, most bleeding. Several Kunai stuck out proudly from his arms and torso. Glancing to his side, he found his katana out of his reach. Closing his eyes a moment, another wave of pain hit him. His face contorted in response. He opened his eyes when the wave had passed. His eyes were half lidded and dull in color. He lay silent, only his shallow breathing proved he was alive. Reaching with his mind, he found his opponent was long gone. Much to his dismay, they were still alive while he lay there, at deaths door. 

Clenching his teeth, he forced himself up. His body protested, screaming at him but he did not hear it, forcing himself to become numb to the pain. Once he was sitting, his muscles began to twitch. Slowly, he reached for the Kunai buried in his flesh and began to pull them out with a squishing sound. Soon, the bloodstained metal lay around him, blood trickling from the various wounds they had caused. He panted, his body strained. Lifting his dull eyes, he scanned the area on which he had fought. He was shocked by the destruction he saw. All the damage was caused not by him, but by his opponent. Seeing this, he finally realized what they had said was true, he was no match for them. Growing tired, he fell back. He opened his eyes again, staring at the cloud covered sky as he lay recumbent on the bloody earth. As he stared, his mind began to wander, his physical pain lost to his consciousness.

All those years of training, leaving his home, selling his soul, they were for naught. He had lost, he was dying while the one he wished dead still walked the earth. Everything he had done was wasted. Finally acknowledging this, he felt an invisible weight being lifted from his lax shoulders. Sighing, he closed his eyes and told himself that this was what was meant to happen, there was nothing he could have done to avoid dying there, alone. There was nothing he could have done to prevent the loss of his friends, the bonds he had made. There was nothing he could have done to save those he sought to avenge. There was nothing he could do, to save himself. As he lay, he prayed to who ever would listen that he would be forgiven for the mistakes he made, the pain he caused and anything else he could not think of at the moment. Opening his eyes again, he remembered his prayers would not be answered, for he had sold his soul to the devil on earth.

From the beginning, he had known that joining that snake would only mean his death. He had known what the bastard had wanted all along but he had told himself that he would have his revenge first. His soul was forfeit so long as he avenged his loved ones. But now, he found that impossible. He found that the wall that divided him and his goal was too high to climb, and its foundation was rotting. Thinking on it now, he realized that what his lost friends had said was right. There was no way for him to win alone, but it was too late. They had given up saving him some time ago. They had lost hope in their dreams of his return, just has he had lost hope the night he lost it all.

Looking to the sky again, he thought of his lost friends. He wondered if they would search for him again once the learned of his demise. He hoped they would, just for the sake of their closure. He prayed that they would move on and forget about him, well, not completely forget. He wished they would forget the man he had become. He hoped they would remember the boy he once was, before he abandoned them, before he destroyed their hopes in him, their trust in him. He wanted them to think of the few moments of happiness they had together, if there were any. He hoped they would think that the boy he was never truly left, but was the one who died that day. That the man he had become, the one that betrayed them, was all the snakes' creation and that he never truly existed.

His breath began to slow as his vision turned blurry. His heart beat echoed through his skull. Or, at least, he thought it was his heart beat. A pair of figures entered his line of blurry vision. He tried to focus on them, but they remained fuzzy. He could hear their voices clearly though. He would have scowled if he could have, the snake and his pet had come. He listened to their conversation, uncontrolled rage began to build in his dying body. Then the pet kneeled down next to him, turning back to the snake and reporting his condition. Judging by his voice, the bastard was not happy about this. He could care less though, he wanted them to leave so he could die in peace. The pet turned back to him and held out his hand. His dulled eyes focused on the appendage as best they could. He watched in horror as the hand began to glow green.

They were planning on healing him, only to have him die spiritually later. The rage that had been building in him erupted as he slowly reached for one of the many Kunai that had once been impaled in his flesh. The glowing hand came closer, he could feel its healing presence and his disgusted him. Grasping the Kunai, he slowly brought his hand to his side, waiting till the glowing one was close enough. The snake snickered as his pet prepared to heal him. Suddenly, he slammed the grasped Kunai though the glowing hand, causing the pet to scream. The sound of bone being severed by the blade echoed in his mind as gushing blood sprayed from the edge around the weapon. The silver haired pet grasped his wrist as he attempted to stop the bleeding before removing the metal. Then he slammed the back of his wrist into the pets face, breaking his glasses and sending him into unconsciousness.

The snake laughed evilly, the sound sickened him. He forced himself to stand, his rage at the bastard numbing him to his physical pain and the beginnings of shock. He panted heavily, crimson eyes centered on the snake. Blood trickled down his form as he stood, his appendages twitched in their weakened state. The snake stopped laughing and only stared as he began to approach. He dragged his feet on the ground, his legs shaking. A dying flame roared in his dull crimson eyes. This site put the snake on edge. Raising his shaking hands, he made one hand sign, the sign of concentration. Chakra flowed to his eyes, bringing them back to life. The snake watched, unable to tear his eyes away as the three designs in those eyes morphed and locked onto him. Before unleashing the hell he had waiting for the bastard, he summed up all his anger, frustration and painful rage into the only think he could think to say.

"I am… Uchiha… Sasuke… And I… I am … Free!!"

The next few moments were pitch black to him. He awoke on the ground, laying a yard from him was the convulsing snake. It had worked. His vision became blurry again as pain overwhelmed him. His panting breaths became shallow as he lay. His eyes lids felt heavy, his vision became even fuzzier. As his eyes began to close, he heard distant cries, familiar yet unrecognizable. He knew that one was male and the other was female. He felt a healing presence upon him, desperately trying to save him. The male voice was shouting at him, but his words were mixed together, non coherent to his ears. Drops of water hit his face, he knew they were tears. He gave a weak smile to those around him, now knowing who they were. As he slipped away, he mouthed something of importance to them, hoping they would understand.

"_I am free…"_


	2. Sound the Bugle Now

**Disclaimer: Again, I do not own Naruto or the song "Sound the Bugle". Thank You.**

**A/N: For those who asked for it, here it is… drum roll The sequel to "Sound the Bulge". Please enjoy.**

"_Sound the bugle now  
__Play it just for me  
As the seasons change  
__Remember how I used to be  
Now I can't go on  
__I can't even start  
I've got nothing left  
__Just an empty heart  
__  
I'm a soldier  
__Wounded so I must give up the fight  
There's nothing more for me  
__Lead me away  
__Or leave me lying here  
__  
Sound the bugle now  
__Tell them I don't care  
There's not a road I know  
__That leads to anywhere  
Without a light  
__I fear I will stumble in the dark  
Lay right down  
__Decide not to go on _

_Then from on high  
__Somewhere in the distance  
There's a voice that calls  
__Remember who your are  
If you lose yourself  
__Your courage soon will follow  
So be strong tonight  
__Remember who you are_

_You're a soldier now  
__Fighting in a battle  
To be free once more  
__That's worth fighting for"  
__"Sound the Bugle"  
__-Bryan Adams_

Sound the Bugle Now

He awoke in silence, lying on the hard stone floor of a cave. The darkness of the room fogged his blurred vision. He attempted to move, to allow room for his lungs to expand and breath, but was forced to halt. Pain was all he remembered for the next few moments. Releasing a shaky breath once the feeling dissipated, he attempted to get a grasp of where he was. Finding the darkness around him impossible to decipher, he closed his eyes, preferring the darkness of his skull to the room.

Silence began to weigh down on him, ringing in his ears and pounding in his head, he grunted into the darkness. The sound shattered the silence that surrounded him, if only for a moment. Thoughts began to storm his dulled mind. Where was he? How did he get there? Why did everywhere hurt? Question after question, so many at once his head began to throb. Sighing, he began to filter through his memories, trying to remember how he got himself into his current situation. Everything was hazy, nothing made sense. Then, it hit him.

He and his pink haired teammate had been rushing though the forest. They were on an urgent mission, their lost comrade had been spotted near the border of their country. Upon reaching him, what he and his teammate found was somewhat shocking. At one end of the battle field, the bastard snake laid seizing, near a small crater laid the snakes pet, he was bleeding profusely, and before them laid their old friend, near the end. His teammate rushed to his side and desperately tried to heal him, crying tears for him as she did so.

Following suite, he too rushed to the avengers' side. He shouted at the man to not die, that they had yet to see who was stronger. He knew that what he was saying didn't matter but, it was all he could think to say. The pink haired medics crying worsened, she laid her head on his bloody chest and tried to hide her sobs. While she did so, he noticed the distant, hazy look in their friends' cobalt eyes. Then, as those eyes faded and closed, he tried to tell them something, something that broke his heart.

"_I am free…"_

And then… He was gone. He was silent while the pink haired girl went into hysterics, shouting the lost ones name, shaking his body. He, himself, could only stand in shock. His body refused to move, twitching only slightly. Then, he fell to his knees and began to cry softly. They had been too late to save him, to bring him home. Looking to his teammate, he found her coughing while she sobbed. He laid a shaky hand on her shoulder and tried to calm her, to no success. She laid her head on his shoulder and continued crying while he rubbed her back with his free hand. His lower jaw quivered as he fought not to sob with her, tears fell silently from his broken blue eyes.

Their moment of mourning was interrupted by the man who had sent their friend to death. He and his partner stood at the other end of the battle field, near the seizing snake. The black haired man drew a kunai and in the blink of an eye, stabbed the snake through his heart, ending his inhuman life. The man's face was emotionless. His blue skinned partner chuckled beside him, his beady yellow eyes eyeing him from across the field.

Turning to his still crying teammate, he ordered her to run and get help, that if she stayed she would be killed. She refused to leave, afraid she would lose him as well. Shaking her shoulders, he pleaded to her that she run back to the village and get help, that he would keep them busy while she did so, that he would be fine. Still weary about leaving him, she nodded to him and was gone. Once he could no longer sense her chakra, he turned his attention back to the two men.

No words were exchanged as their battle began. He didn't remember much of the fight itself, for reasons he didn't care to know. All he remembered was that he had tried his best to keep them at bay, but failed. They had caught him, after so many years, they had him. He did not remember the trip from the battle field to the cave, nor did he want to. All he wanted to know was if his pink haired teammate had made it to the village and told them of what had happened and who had taken him. He hoped that they were, at that moment, searching for him and that they would find him before it was too late.

He knew that he would never be found, but he hoped despite himself. He sighed into the darkness, silence once again weighed down upon him. He was unsure when he drifted into unconsciousness, but he awoke to the echo of footsteps on the stone floor. They were coming closer to him. He opened his eyes to see the flickering light of a candle dancing on the wall across from him, beyond the steel bars that encased him. Shadows danced along with the light as it grew brighter, until it was before him. Two figures, masked in darkness behind the candle, stood before the bars of his cell. He knew who they were by their silhouettes alone. He heard the jingling of keys as they unlocked the door to his cell. The sound of rusty metal scraping against the creaking frame of the door echoed on the walls, hurting his head.

They then approached his immobile form. The taller of the two hoisted him over their shoulder, rather recklessly, following the shorter one, who held the light, out of the cell. Leaving the door open, they began to walk out of the dungeon. It was a long, painful walk for him. The blue skinned man who was carrying him wasn't taking care to ease his pain. Finally exiting the long passage to the underbelly of the cave, he found himself it a large cavern. He felt small in comparison to it. He could tell it was large by the time it took the echo to return and that the light from the candle did not show on any of the walls. Before he could think on things further, he was roughly dropped onto a flat rock. He cringed when his body hit it, all the pain from before returning. Opening his eyes, he found he could see better. Silhouettes surrounded him, some he recognized, and others he didn't.

The cavern began to shake, violently. A low murmur echoed in the air, vibrating in his ears. Debris from the ceiling began to fall around him, dust filled the air. He coughed involuntarily, pain filling his chest as he did so. Opening his eyes again, he found his vision swirling. An eerie mist filled the air around him, blocking the silhouettes from view. His exposed skin began to tingle, like he was being touched by thousands of soft feathers. His eyes became half-lidded, the sensations lulling him to sleep. The muscles of his body began to relax, the veil of sleep was about to claim him when he felt the mist enter though the orifices of his face. The feather like sensations traveling down his throat and though the innards of his body. His eyes fell shut.

His stomach clenched, the feathers turned to fine needles. His eyes refused to open, his muscles unwillingly lax. His mind screamed for movement, but his body could not comply. The needle sensation became worse, driving into his skin. He was pinned immobile by a pain worse than any he'd felt before. In the back of his mind, he heard primal sounds and the scraping of metal. A sharp intake of breath, he knew what was going on. New resolve filled his mind, a desire to live numbing him to the pain. They would not have the spirit within him, not when he could still fight, not when the need to live was so strong. Not when someone was counting on him to return home alive.

Reaching deep within himself, he grasped the spirit by the neck. The numbness to the mist disappeared as a mist of his own surrounded him, forcing the other away. The crimson color of the mist showed brightly in the silhouettes eyes. They stared on as their prize fought back. Angered by this, they resolved to hurry and force him to submit. Putting more chakra into their jutsu, they pushed the spirit and him apart, weakening him.

Despite the pain, despite their efforts, he kept hold of the spirit. Not once letting it go. Forcing his now crimson eyes open, he stared at their somewhat shocked faces. They had failed at making him submit. As he tried to stand, the needles returned, but he persevered. Three crimson tails swished behind him, showing his contemplation. Raising his eyes to them, he snarled and attacked. Weakened by their jutsu, the silhouettes put up very little resistance. They were easily taken down. Slaying the last of them, he noticed the burning he had been numb to only moments before. The mist around him sizzled where it connected with flesh, burning straight through to the superficial muscle.

Falling to his knees, the mist dispersed. All he knew was pain, but he was alive. Eyes half-lidded with exhaustion, he collapsed. The cold of the cavern floor was a welcome feeling to the hot burn of his seared skin. As he drifted between consciousness and unconsciousness, a light broke though the darkness that had surrounded him for how long, he could not say. He barely heard the echo of hurried foot steps as several people rushed to his side.

Though his half-lidded eyes he could see them. His pink haired teammate sat next to him, shaking his shoulder, crying. His gray haired sensei stood a ways off, surveying the battle he had fought. A blonde haired woman with large breasts and teary eyes kneeled next to the pink haired girl. The woman's hands began to glow green as she tried to save her adopted brother. A white haired man was the last one who arrived, he laid a hand on the woman's shoulder. The woman pushed his teammate aside, and began to scream at him, crying as she did so. Her words were lost to him though, his vision blurry as eternal sleep claimed him, with a smile on his face.


End file.
